MaHRTI Newsletter | June 2021
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MaHRTI will be sharing harm reduction news and resources.
If there is anything you are seeking or interested in sharing,
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We are so excited to finally roll out our fresh, new updated look! Don't worry, we're still the same MaHRTI! |
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The Maryland Harm Reduction Training Institute (MaHRTI), in collaboration with the Center for Harm Reduction Services, is excited to announce the launch of the online Maryland Syringe Services Program (SSP) Academy.
The SSP Academy includes on-demand courses as well as live online sessions and practice sessions.
There will be two Mandatory Live Sessions:
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Syringe Services Program 101 - Thursday, July 29, 10am-12pm
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Maryland Laws and Requirements - Thursday, September 9, 10am-12pm
Who is required to participate in the SSP Academy?
- anyone who works at a Syringe Services Program (SSP) in Maryland and has contact with SSP participants.
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Note: If you have completed SSP Core Trainings or SSP Cohort Trainings in the past, you are not required to participate in the SSP Academy.
Can other people participate in the SSP Academy?
- Yes! Anyone who's interested can join!
- SSP staff who would like a refresher are encouraged to join
- Staff of programs applying to operate an SSP in the next six months are also encouraged to complete the SSP Academy
Registration coming soon!
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Pre-recorded Trainings
You can still access our pre-recorded trainings on our site. The trainings are available 24/7 and can be completed at your own pace. The topics include the following:
- Motivational Interviewing for People Who Use Drugs
- Safer Injection and Basic Wound Care
- De-Escalation and Conflict Management
- Maryland Overdose Response Program Training of Trainers
- Syringe Services Program Core Training Opening Session 12/8/2020
- Syringe Services Program Core Training Closing Session 12/16/2020
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Need Technical Assistance? We can help! |
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We are so grateful for all the trailblazing work done by LGBTQIA+ harm reductionists. We would not be able to continue doing this work without them! This month, we've included some of our favorite LGBTQIA+ harm reduction resources. |
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Brooke Alexandria Paine (she/her), National Harm Reduction Coalition
Constructing safe spaces encompasses everything from being inclusive in Harm Reduction movement building, to maintaining a welcoming environment at brick and mortar drop-in centers. This guide was created as a small collaborative effort by some trans people at NHRC.
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Grace Ramsey, Drug Policy Alliance
Although many are aware of the oppression experienced by those with non-conforming sexualities, consideration of how this translates to the criminal justice system is often not commonplace. While the harms of drug war-era policies are well documented in minority communities, the impacts on those that are LGBTQIA+ are shocking.
As a minority group, those in the LGBTQIA+ community are often subject to discrimination, denial of civil rights, harassment, victimization, family alienation, social exclusion – the list unfortunately goes on.
Discrimination from governmental organizations is nothing new in the LGBTQIA+ community, and drug war policies exacerbate this unfortunate phenomenon, although the specifics around this are difficult to discern due to a lack of solid research in the area. Lesbian, gay and bisexual people are often included in the few studies that are conducted on this topic, while other non-conforming sexualities and gender identities are left out. We must encourage more diversity in research so that the situation can be better understood.
What we do know is that, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults are more than twice as likely than their heterosexual counterparts to have used illicit drugs in the past year, and almost three times as likely to have a substance use disorder. This can be due to a mix of factors, including the effects of minority stress overall as members of a marginalized group and overrepresentation in experiences with major depressive episodes.
Being part of a minority population and having higher rates of illicit drug use creates the perfect storm for discrimination by drug war policies, and from all actors of the criminal justice system. In fact, 25% of LGBT respondents in a survey reported police misconduct and harassment during their interaction. After policing and in the transition to prisons, the mistreatment continues, including disproportionately higher rates of gay and transgender prisoners – more than three times that of the U.S. adult population. Many are held pretrial due to a mix of social, political, and economic reasons and too many are subject to the pains of solitary confinement for purposes of their protection.
This blog post was originally posted on June 22, 2018, on the Drug Policy Alliance blog. You can read the rest of the blog post here. Grace Ramsey is an intern for the Drug Policy Alliance.
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ACCESS 2021: Maryland Harm Reduction Conference - August 5, 2021
The Maryland Department of Health’s Center for Harm Reduction Services is excited to collaborate with local and national thought leaders, community-based organizations, and advocates within the community of people who use drugs to create a state harm reduction conference. Through workshops, seminars and panel discussions, the conference will highlight the collective efforts across the state towards ending the opioid crisis.
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You will not want to miss this virtual event!
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Harm Reduction Collaborative Calls
This schedule is tentative and subject to change. Updates will be announced by the Maryland Department of Health Center for Harm Reduction Services.
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- Wednesday, July 7, 1pm-2pm - Overdose Response Programs
- Wednesday, July 14, 1pm-2pm - Syringe Services Programs
- Wednesday, July 20, 1pm-2pm - ACCESS grantees
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Maryland Harm Reduction Action Network
The Maryland Harm Reduction Action Network (MHRAN) meets virtually each month, and offers opportunities to network with other harm reductionists in the area to discuss local and statewide needs. Please reach out to Owen@BaltimoreHarmReduction.org to ask about the next meeting.
For more information on the MHRAN, visit their website!
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BRIDGES Coalition
BRIDGES is an advocacy coalition working to end overdose and criminalization by promoting safe spaces, dignity, health, and justice for people who use drugs.
Interested in becoming a part of BRIDGES? Fill out the form at the bottom of their website!
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COVID Resources
Vaccine Information
Harm Reduction Supplies
Request supplies from MDH CHRS by filling out this form
ACCESS is a centralized platform for local health departments and non-profit organizations to
access resources made available by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) to improve health
outcomes among people who use drugs. ACCESS resources currently available at no cost through
this form include intramuscular injectable naloxone, Narcan nasal spray, and fentanyl test
strips.
Naloxone Access
Additional Resources
Have a resource you would like us to share? Need something you don't see here? Let us know! Email us at mahrti@bhsbaltimore.org
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We want to hear from you!
Upload a video on instagram, facebook, or twitter using #AccessConferenceMD telling us why did you say YES to this work?!
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US Rep Cori Bush (D-MO) and US Rep Bonnie Watson (D-NJ). Drew Angerer/Getty Images; Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for MoveOn.org
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On June 15, Democrats unveiled a bill to end criminal penalties for drug prossession at the federal level. This bill comes just days before the 50th anniversary of Nixon declaring the "war on drugs."
Proposed by Representatives Cori Bush (MO) and Bonnie Watson (NJ), the Drug Policy Reform Act (DPRA) aims to decriminalize personal use possession of all scheduled drugs - including cannabis, heroin, and cocaine. The bill also automatic expunges records of prior offenses and calls for resentencing people currently incarcerated for drug-related offenses.
"The United States has not simply failed in how we carried out the War on Drugs—the War on Drugs stands as a stain on our national conscience since its very inception," Watson Coleman said in a statement.
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Accessing methadone and other medications for opioid use disorder can be difficult, between stigma and bureaucratic hurdles. Experts have noted the existence of treatment deserts, where physical distance and travel time prevents individuals from seeking help. Although these barriers are common in more rural areas, they exist in urban areas as well, according to research conducted at the Ohio State University. People using public transit can often spend an average of 2.5 times longer to get to services.
Their findings highlight the importance of expanding access to these life saving services by realistically examining accessible travel time. Their study is part of a larger effort in Ohio to expand medication and treatment for opioid use disorder.
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Harm Reduction Journal publishes research focusing on the prevalent patterns of psychoactive drug use, the public policies meant to control them, and the search for effective methods of reducing the adverse medical, public health, and social consequences associated with both drugs and drug policies.
All articles published by Harm Reduction Journal are made freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication, without subscription charges or registration barriers. To find out more or read articles, visit their website.
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Each month, we will share some of our favorite things, including movies, books, recipes, and much more. |
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Emily: This month I’m loving the Baltimore City Health Department’s Twitter (@BMore_Healthy) and Lucy Ives’ book of short stories, Cosmogony.
Miera: One of my favorite forms of self care has always been television. I am currently watching Lupin on Netflix and it is awesome!! It is about a gentleman thief and his capers. If you are a fan of Ocean's 11 or The Thomas Crown Affair, you will love this show!!
Sal: I recently attended a training session entitled Points of Light: Bystander Intervention to Stop Anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment which started by talking about the types of disrespect that Asian and Asian American individuals are facing right now from microaggressions to violence, then introduced a tool called the "spectrum of disrespect", learning what to look for and the positive impact that bystander intervention has on individuals and communities.
Rae: I'm kind of embarrassed to say that I've somehow found myself deep in TikTok, which I vowed I would never download. I've really enjoyed the nuerodivergent corners of it, where people share their experiences and their strategies for coping with some challenges similar to mine. I've also really enjoyed the harm reduction account Party Safer with Jess, where she shares harm reduction tips, tricks, and information.
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Need Technical Assistance? We can help! |
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